Health Conditions

The APOE4 gene variant and myelin may be connected in ways that affect brain health. New research suggests that cells that produce myelin may play an important role in how the APOE4 variant influences Alzheimer’s disease risk. Myelin is also essential to the optic nerve, which carries visual information from your eyes to your brain.

APOE4 is a genetic risk factor, not a diagnosis. Many people who carry the variant never develop Alzheimer’s disease. Other genes, ancestry, age, cardiovascular health, and environmental factors may also influence a person’s risk. ¹

Researchers are now investigating why APOE4 affects people differently. Recent findings point toward oligodendrocytes, which are specialized brain cells that make myelin. The results do not prove that protecting myelin will prevent Alzheimer’s disease. However, they provide another clue about how APOE4 may affect the aging brain.
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Sugary drinks and eye health may seem unrelated, but what you sip each day can affect much more than your thirst. A new long-term study found that people who consumed at least one sugar-sweetened drink daily had more than twice the risk of developing stomach cancer compared with people who rarely drank them. The study does not prove that sugary drinks caused the cancer, but the size of the association deserves attention.

Sodapop is not the only drink worth examining. Fruit punches, lemonades, sports drinks, energy drinks, sweetened coffees, and some electrolyte beverages can contain surprising amounts of added sugar. Cutting back does not mean that you should automatically switch to diet beverages containing artificial sweeteners. There are better everyday choices, including water, lemon water, coffee, tea, green tea, and drinks lightly sweetened with stevia.

How much sugar is hiding in your favorite drink? When do you actually need electrolytes? Are diet drinks a healthy substitute? This article examines the new stomach cancer research, the relationship between sugary drinks and eye health, the proper use of electrolyte beverages, and practical ways to reduce sugar without giving up every occasional treat.

What Counts as a Sugary Drink?

A sugar-sweetened beverage is any drink containing sugar that was added during manufacturing or preparation. Common examples include:
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Brain fog can make it hard to recall words, concentrate, or complete everyday tasks. Even after spending enough time in bed, you might feel exhausted. Your eyes might feel dry, burn, or have trouble shifting focus.

What causes brain fog? Poor or broken sleep is one common cause. Sleep problems can affect your energy, memory, attention, and eye comfort. They can leave you feeling mentally cloudy and physically drained during the day.

Sleep problems are not the only possible explanation for tired eyes and brain fog. Diabetes, anemia, thyroid disorders, medications, nutritional deficiencies, and other health conditions can cause similar symptoms. In this article, we talk about symptoms of brain fog, poor sleep, and why tired eyes and brain fog often occur together. We also point out how excessive screen time can lead to brain fog. And we offer practical tips: eye exercises, easy lifestyle changes, nutritional support, and when to call a doctor.
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Want to support healthier vision and improve your overall health as you age? One practical place to begin is to eat fewer ultra-processed foods and choose more whole or minimally processed foods. You do not need a perfect diet, nor do you need to eliminate every packaged product. Small, consistent substitutions can improve the quality of your diet while reducing ingredients and processes that promote inflammation, oxidative stress, poor blood sugar regulation, diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.

A diet dominated by ultra-processed foods may raise the risk of serious age-related eye conditions, including macular degeneration, cataracts, and glaucoma. These products may contribute to high blood sugar, inflammation, and oxidative stress that damage delicate cells and blood vessels in the eyes. A diet lacking essential fatty acids and other nutrients may also interfere with healthy tear production and contribute to dry eye. When you choose these foods, you miss out on crucial nutrients. And, many ultra-processed foods are high in calories while providing few useful nutrients. Hence the term “junk food.” ^{1 2}

What Are Ultra-Processed Foods?

Ultra-processed foods are industrial formulations made from extracted ingredients and additives rather than intact foods. They often undergo processes such as molding, pre-frying, or chemical modification and may contain flavors, colors, sweeteners, emulsifiers, or other substances that are rarely used in a home kitchen. ³
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Detoxification is essential for maintaining health. It is the body’s natural process of identifying, breaking down, and eliminating potentially harmful substances. The liver does most of this work, while the kidneys, digestive system, lungs, skin, and lymphatic system help remove waste through urine, stool, breath, and sweat. The body continuously detoxifies itself; it does not require special cleanses or extreme diets to perform these essential functions. Several mechanisms in the body accomplish this work.

Two of the most important are the glymphatic and lymphatic systems.

The Glymphatic System

The glymphatic system is the brain’s waste-clearance pathway. It relies on glial cells and cerebrospinal fluid to remove metabolic waste, especially during deep sleep.
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GLP-1 drugs have produced remarkable weight-loss results for many people, but can these medications have serious side effects? Weight-loss medications containing semaglutide, including Wegovy and Ozempic, reduce appetite through several interconnected systems involving the brain, digestive tract, pancreas, hormones, and nerves. ¹

Semaglutide does not appear to cross the blood-brain barrier freely. Instead, it can reach or influence selected appetite-regulating areas, including regions of the hypothalamus and brainstem. ² By affecting appetite and food-reward signaling, the medication can help you feel satisfied with less food and may reduce cravings and eating motivated primarily by pleasure rather than hunger. ³
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New study finds link between microplastics and heart disease. The tiny pieces of plastic flake off water bottles, chip off cutting boards, rinse out of polyester blouses and coffee pods, and come from many other objects. These do not only build up in the environment, but also accumulate in the body.

A 2024 study found that microplastics make their way into the arterial plaques, and end up causing fatty deposits inside the blood vessels. People whose plaques contained plastic particles were more likely to suffer heart attacks or strokes or die from other causes in the following years as compared to those without plastic detected in the plaque.

In a study published in the European Heart Journal, the results found that 84% of the people who had a heart attack had plastics in their blood, compared with only 40% of people with less severe heart disease and 32% of control patients with normal arteries.

The conclusion was that these study results provided further evidence that heart disease risk may be linked to plastic exposure. ¹
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News for July 4, 2026. In this article:

Caffeine and Dementia Risk

Study Finds that Cannabis May Be Less Effective for Chronic Nerve Pain

Omega-3 Fish Oil Shows Promise Against Type 2 Diabetes

Can You Keep Your Telomeres Long?

Pleo Muc eyedrops for Dry Eye – BACK IN STOCK

Suggested Supplements Consider

Caffeine and Dementia Risk

Research linked daily moderate consumption of caffeinated coffee or tea to an 18% lower risk of dementia. ¹ A major JAMA study followed more than 131,000 adults for as long as 43 years, which gives this research weight. The researchers looked at coffee, tea, dementia risk, and cognitive function. They found that people who drank more caffeinated coffee had a lower risk of dementia and were less likely to report subjective cognitive decline. Caffeinated tea showed similar favorable associations, while decaffeinated coffee did not show the same connection.

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Vitamin C is best known for immune support, but its role in healthy aging is broader than that. Ascorbic acid, the chemical name for Vitamin C, helps the body make collagen, supports blood vessel integrity, assists wound healing, improves the absorption of iron from plant foods, and acts as an antioxidant. These functions matter throughout the body, including in the brain and eyes.

A recent large study of older adults adds another reason to pay attention to vitamin C status. Researchers found that lower plasma vitamin C levels were associated with lower gray matter volume and weaker connectivity in a major brain network involved in memory, attention, and self-reflection. The study does not prove that vitamin C prevents brain shrinkage or cognitive decline. However, it does suggest that healthy vitamin C levels may be one marker of better brain aging. ¹
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N-Acetyl-Cysteine is an amino acid that has been researched heavily for its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. NAC is primarily a building block for glutathione. Key clinical studies explore its role in respiratory health, vision support, liver function, aging, and anti-inflammatory properties.

As an antioxidant, NAC helps protect healthy cells by neutralizing free radicals before they can cause harm. It supports the body’s supply of cysteine, a key building block of glutathione, one of the body’s most important internal antioxidants. By helping restore glutathione levels, NAC strengthens the cell’s antioxidant defenses and helps clear reactive oxygen species, or ROS. NAC also has anti-inflammatory effects. In the early stages of immune activation, it may help reduce the release of cytokines, which are chemical messengers involved in inflammation. ¹
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